OCTOBER 13, 2016 // 23
BOOK SHELF // GLIMPSE // WILDLIFE // POP CULTURE // WORDS // Q&A // FOOD // FUN
UNCORKED RAMBLINGS
COLUMBIA BAR
Puin hones its pinot pedigree
Big O’s Hot Toddy
By STEVE SINKLER
FOR EO MEDIA GROUP
The calendar has turned
to October, the tempera-
tures are cooler and the
leaves are falling. All signs
point to the same conclu-
sion: Fall is here.
In wineries across the
Pacific Northwest, the
2016 harvest is mostly
complete, and grapes that
were on the vine not long
ago are now safely in oak
barrels or stainless steel
tanks.
At Pufin wines, things
aren’t any different. All of
the fruit has been picked,
and fermentation has begun.
The wines smell great, and
we’re expecting 2016 to
be another stellar vintage.
I look forward to pouring
those wines for you in a few
months (or years). Until
then, we’ll have to continue
enjoying the Pufin wines
we made during the past
couple of years.
Our Puffin chardonnay
2015 is a perfect white
wine for fall. This isn’t
your typical chardonnay, as
it combines tropical flavors
of mango and papaya
with notes of hazelnut.
This slightly creamy wine
reminds me of a white
burgundy, which is typi-
cally 100 percent chardon-
nay. Enjoy this wine with
grilled chicken and roasted
root vegetables or creamy
cheese ravioli.
For those of you who
prefer something red in
your glass, Puffin has sev-
eral delicious options for
you this fall, starting with
our Puffin pinot noir 2013.
This elegant pinot was
the result of a challenging
growing season, but it con-
PHOTO BY NANCY MCCARTHY
Steven Sinkler displays one of
The Wine Shack’s own Puin
wines.
tinues to amaze me. Silky
smooth, this pinot noir
has smoky earth flavors
combined with dark fruit
to more closely resemble
a Burgundy Premier Cru
than a Willamette Valley
wine. Puffin pinot noir is a
perfect companion to roast
turkey, game, salmon, pork
roast or portabella.
The newest release in
our portfolio is a Puffin
red blend (non-vintage).
Released in late September,
winemaker John Derthick
has combined Walla Walla
syrah, merlot and malbec
with Dundee Hills pinot
noir to create a delicious
fruit-forward wine. This
easy drinking red wine
offers robust flavors of red
cherry and raspberry that
beg for grilled burgers,
pizza or pasta with mari-
nara sauce. We only made
100 cases of this red blend,
and based on customer re-
sponse so far, we should’ve
made a lot more.
2013 was the first
vintage of Puffin cabernet
sauvignon, and it’s been
a smash! This delicious
single-vineyard Walla
Walla cabernet sauvignon
has been popular with
customers. Packed with
big red fruit flavors with
slight notes of black tea,
this wine’s mouthfeel has
softened a bit since it was
first released, but it’s still
big enough to let you know
it has a Walla Walla pedi-
gree. This wine goes nicely
with roast beef, rib-eye or
just a cool evening. We are
coming to the end of the
2013 vintage, but our 2014
Puffin cabernet sauvignon
should be ready for release
later this fall.
So, as the weather
changes and the tempera-
tures drop, Puffin has a
lineup of wines that are
perfect for fall. This fall,
you’ll get a couple of
opportunities to taste this
entire lineup. Based on
customer feedback, I plan
to pour the Puffin lineup
during our Saturday wine
tastings a bit more often
than in the past. You can
find The Wine Shack’s Sat-
urday tasting room sched-
ule on our website, www.
thewineshack.wine, our
Facebook page “Cannon
Beach Wine Shack” or in
our Cannon Beach Gazette
advertisement.
We look forward to
seeing you at The Shack.
Please remember to drink
responsibly.
Steve Sinkler is the owner of
Puffin Wines and The Wine
Shack in Cannon Beach.
He writes a monthly
column about wine in the
Cannon Beach Gazette.
By RYAN HUME
During a recent spate
of rain, I was able to take
shelter at the Olney Saloon,
known colloquially as the
Big O, and probably the best
country bar on the North
Coast. A few things had
changed since I last came in.
Eight years after being
purchased, owners Shawr-
ron and Dale Searls contin-
ue to make improvements,
including putting on a new
metal roof and inishing of
a bricked patio area.
Decked out with antlers,
saw-blades and a collec-
tion of license plates from
places near and far, expect
even more warm wood
paneling in the future,
which Dale Searls mills
himself and installs on the
weekends.
Known for accommo-
dating a slew of colorful
regulars at any given time,
I was surprised to ind the
bar, and a heaping basket
of peanuts, all to myself,
which gave me ample op-
portunity to chat up owner
Shawrron Searls and bar-
tender Martha Stephens.
Martha warmed my
gullet with a classic Hot
Toddy on a chilly afternoon
and spoke kindly of her
time tossing booze and
draining kegs behind the
bar in Olney.
While it’s always a good
idea to tip your bartender,
consider that the stakes are
raised at such an eccentric
establishment. Stephens
has been
tipped with
fresh salmon,
chanterelle
mushrooms and
even a
mounted
boar’s
head,
which
currently
hangs in
her bathroom at
home. That’s got
to count for more
than 20 percent.
Ingredients
1.5 ounces Mak-
er’s Mark, Jameson,
or other whiskey
2 slices lemon
1 slice lime
2 shakes ground cinna-
mon
1 shake ground nutmeg
1 heavy tablespoon
honey
Hot water
Directions
Inside a
stemmed
cofee
cup,
muddle
the
lemon
slices
with the
lime, cinna-
mon, nutmeg
and honey. Once
aromatic, add
your whiskey of
choice and top
of the glass with
hot water.
—Recipe courtesy
of Martha Stephens,
bartender at the Ol-
ney Saloon, Olney,
Oregon
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